A/N: The Magic of Ordinary Days does not belong to me. It is the creation of Anne Howard Creel and the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Prologue:
Olivia Dunne Singleton never really knew what happiness was until she met her husband Ray.
Their marriage began on the shakiest of foundations because until their wedding day they had never met. They married because she found herself in the family way and without a husband and her father made arrangements with a fellow minister to marry her to a young farmer in his rural community.
She felt at the time as though she'd been banished from Denver and her family, but truth to tell there wasn't much family left to be banished from. Her mother was gone and throughout her illness and increasingly after her death, Olivia's father shut her out. Her sister Abby was married and busy with a life of her own with her husband Kent. So Olivia was alone and lonely and that made her vulnerable.
And that vulnerability led her into the arms and the bed of one Lieutenant Edward Brown which was the catalyst to her life on a farm outside of Wilson, Colorado with the child that was a result of her vulnerability and the man she came to love.
She slowly learned through months of living with Ray how good and kind he was. When she went into labor on a cold and snowy afternoon early in December of 1944 she was alone with him and with Martha and steadfastly refused to let him leave her as she brought her baby into the world.
His soft voice and gentle touch as he brushed the damp hair off of her forehead as she labored into the night helped the deep affection she already felt for him grow into an abiding love. His voice remained calm as the pain worsened and while Martha told her what to do Ray's steadiness kept her from crying out.
She wanted to name the baby for Ray and Martha's brother even though she wasn't sure if they would want it. He had told her that he loved her baby but the fact of the matter was, as much as she wanted it now he wasn't Ray's. But when both he and Martha gratefully accepted her offer she knew she had chosen the right name, Daniel Raymond Singleton.
After Danny's birth Ray seemed anxious to begin their marriage anew, as the newlyweds they didn't have the chance to be. But the doctor told them they would have to wait until she recovered. So he took that time to court her and she began to find out the sort of husband his father was to his mother.
He finally convinced her to let Martha teach her how to cook only because Livy Singleton didn't want to get a reputation as the pitiful cook Ray teased her about. He would often take Danny with him when he had chores to do around the farm so she could explore without worrying about his safety. He brought wildflowers he'd gathered from around the farm and put them in a vase for her. He shared too, the duties of being a parent fully and helped Livy with Danny in any way that he could.
She settled into the life she never thought she could when she first came and became a part of the community in a way she hadn't allowed herself to before. In time she became Ray's wife in every sense of the word and contentment with her life deepened further.
The warm spring months gave way to the hot summer and nearly a year to the day that Livy married Ray she knew that she was going to have another baby; it wouldn't take a visit to Dr. McCutcheon's office to tell her that. Just to be sure though, she phoned his office to make an appointment because she wanted to be absolutely sure when she gave Ray the news.
She was able to schedule her appointment at the same time that Danny would get his monthly checkup so her husband wouldn't worry that something might be wrong. Her son as she expected was sound as a dollar as the doctor liked to say and after he examined her, she took a pregnancy test. Unfortunately, it was going to be a couple of days before he could tell her anything but reassured her he would put a rush on it and try to get the results sooner. He promised to call her as soon as he knew something and told her to relax.
"I've never seen a woman so anxious about a second baby." He smiled at her. "I know it's probably sooner than you and your husband planned on but you're in fine health and completely recovered from having your son."
She couldn't exactly tell him that she was anxious because this could be her and Ray's first child together and didn't want it to be a false alarm.
"Go home and relax Mrs. Singleton. As soon as I know anything my nurse will call you."
She nodded as he left the examining room and then she proceeded to get dressed. She picked up Danny and walked out the waiting room where Ray said he'd meet them after he was finished at the library. It was the first place he went when they got into town so he could return a book he'd borrowed and check out a new one, sometimes two.
"How's our little guy doing?" He smiled at her and ruffled the baby's hair.
She smiled back and couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again. "He's fine."
"How about you? I know you haven't been feeling well lately and you're not sleeping well either."
"I talked to the doctor about that so he examined me just to make sure that everything was all right." She was stretching the truth and didn't like it. "He didn't seem worried so he told me not to worry."
"Did he say what he thought it might be?"
She heard the concern in his voice and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "He said he'd call in a couple of days and maybe sooner to talk to me."
"Livy."
"Ray, he'll call us when he knows something. So take your son and let's go home." She cut off any further conversation as she handed Danny to him and walked out of the office.
He knew she was keeping something from him as they talked all the way back to the farm, of that she had no doubt and she hoped he would understand if the news she was holding back was good.
When he pulled the truck up to the front of the house there was a military car parked there and Livy wondered why they would be getting a visit. Abby's husband Kent was the only family that was overseas but if something happened to him she would be getting this visit, not her.
"What's this?" Ray said out loud to himself as he brought the truck to a stop. She waited while he got out and came around to the passenger side. He opened the door and took Danny off of her lap before he offered his hand and helped her out of the truck.
She saw that an Air Corps officer was standing at the front door as they approached and when he turned around Livy got the shock of her life.